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Twelfth Night

Twelfth Night. A Quick Intro. Alternate Title. What You Will. What is “twelfth night”?. Last night of Christmas celebrations that were popular in Elizabethan times ( Jan. 6 ) Also known in the church calendar as Epiphany, the Feast of the Magi (the day the Wise Men visited baby Jesus)

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Twelfth Night

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  1. Twelfth Night A Quick Intro

  2. Alternate Title What You Will

  3. What is “twelfth night”? • Last night of Christmas celebrations that were popular in Elizabethan times (Jan. 6) • Also known in the church calendar as Epiphany, the Feast of the Magi (the day the Wise Men visited baby Jesus) • This holy day, however, covers over a Pagan mid-winter holiday, Saturnalia, which became the medieval “Feast of Fools” • A day given to fun, disguises, and pranks

  4. “Feast of Fools” • A holiday celebrated as a festival in which everything is turned upside down – a theme explored in the play.

  5. Setting: Illyria • City of Illyria Known to Shakespeare as an actual region off the coast of the Adriatic Sea (present day Albania)

  6. Illyria is ideal for many of the plot developments, themes, imagery, etc. that arise in the play:

  7. Distant Land • It acted as a generically exotic setting for a play full of romance and intrigue

  8. Shipwreck • Situated off the coast, offered preconditions for a shipwreck • Illyria would have been associated with piracy in the Elizabethan mind

  9. Illusion • The word “Illyria” brings forth associations like “illusion” or the “illusory”

  10. What is the play about? • Illusion • Deception • Disguises • Madness • Love Concerned with the extraordinary things we’ll do in the name of love

  11. The Play • Viola and her twin brother Sebastian are shipwrecked in a violent storm off the coast of Illyria and lose contact, with each thinking the other is dead • Viola disguises herself as a boy named Cesario and becomes a page in the service of Duke Orsino

  12. Comedy • Features a female protagonist who disguises herself as a young man • In Shakespeare’s day, all parts were played by men, so the actor playing Viola would be a man pretending to be a woman pretending to be a man – which was very amusing to the audience at the time

  13. Characters • Viola “Cesario” • A young aristocratic woman who decides to disguise herself as a man to get a job as a servant after being involved in a ship wreck • Olivia • A beautiful countess who is in mourning after the deaths of her father and brother

  14. Characters • Duke Orsino • A handsome nobleman who loves Olivia and loves the idea of being in love • Malvolio • Olivia’s headservant, haughty and self-righteous, also in love with Olivia

  15. Characters • Sebastian • Viola’s twin brother, believed to have died in the shipwreck • Antonio • Rescues Sebastian and is extremely fond of him

  16. Characters • Sir Toby Belch • Olivia’s uncle, rowdy and a heavy drinker • Sir Andrew Aguecheek • A friend of Sir Toby’s, thinks he is really great but it actually an idiot, wants to court Olivia

  17. Characters • Maria • Olivia’s servant, very clever and daring • Feste the Clown (Fool) • The court jester in Olivia’s household, very wise

  18. Characters

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